American Shad

American Shad (Alosa Sapidissima), is the largest and most well-known species of the river herring family that is naturally distributed in North America on the North Atlantic coast and was also introduced around the North Pacific coast. American Shad live in coastal ocean waters, spawning in freshwater rivers and streams. These fish have thin silver-sided bodies that can vary in color from greenish to blue-black with rows of dark spots on the sides and a deeply forked tail fin. Fully grown Shad usually weigh around 1.5-4 kg (3-8 lb), but can sometimes grow to over 6 kg (12 lb). The diet of an American Shad typically consists of plankton, small shrimp, fish eggs and small fish.